"'Zombies'?" Peppy Hare, commanding general of all CDF forces in the Lylat System, stared at the Star Fox team and their 'cargo.' "You fought 'zombies'?" he said skeptically with a raised eyebrow. "You know I find that very hard to believe, don't you, Fox?" He sighed and shook his head. "But, since there were many more witnesses who have already confirmed this phenomenon - including Lieutenant Phoenix herself - I'll take your word for it. However, not one word of this must make the news. We can't risk having a system-wide panic. Now, there is one question for our new friend here that I must ask."

As Peppy spoke, all eyes were on James, "Are you certain that this threat was neutralized, Mr. Hayes?"

The human, swallowing back his stage fright and fear, nodded. "Yes, sir, I do. The Einstein's fusion reactor would have atomized anything and everything within a 300-mile radius. Nothing would've been able to survive. Sir."

Peppy nodded. "I see. Nevertheless, it's better to be safe than sorry. I'll send in a small team just to confirm there is nothing left."

"I completely understand, sir."

Peppy smiled warmly at James. "Good. Now, let's discuss your hospitality arrangements. While I know you would like to see the rest of the city, I have to prepare the public for your rather sudden and abrupt appearance on our corner of the galaxy." He frowned slightly. "Our last two encounters with an alien species nearly ended with us being wiped from existence." He cleared his throat and continued on. "As I was saying, we need to discuss where and who you will be staying with during your time here." He indicated Fox with a slight nod of his head. "McCloud and Krystal volunteered to take care of you until I can 'properly' introduce you to the Lylat populace."

"Okay," James said with a nod. "Sounds fair enough and all, but what about the others?"

"Slippy will be with his family, well-deserved if I say so myself; Katt does whatever it is she does; Falco will either be playing video games all day or pulling off ridiculous stunts in Corneria's atmosphere." He directed that comment at the blue avian with a stern glare, which she ignored with a snort and not making eye contact with the aging hare. "Wolf and Panther, however, I don't really know." He was about to add with a slight grumble, "Probably waste all their earnings on booze and whatnot," but the lupine mentioned beat him to it.

"We could help out with the babysitting job too, you know," she interjected as she stepped forward, putting herself in the spotlight. "It doesn't matter if we get paid for it or not. I just want to make sure the pup here knows what she's doing." She flashed a grin at Fox, who sighed and shook her head, rolling her eyes as well.

Peppy sighed too, but for an entirely different reason. "Fine. But, you must keep an eye on Panther. I don't want to have another 'incident' such as the one I had to deal with several weeks ago. Understood?"

Wolf aimed her grinning muzzle at Peppy and absentmindedly wrapped an arm around James's shoulders. "Loud and clear, old man. Loud. And. Clear."

James was a little underwhelmed when he first set his eyes on Fox's house. It looked just like any other home back on Earth...before the apocalypse. But that was just the exterior. His first impression was really blown away when he saw the interior.

Cornerian architecture and decor certainly had a touch of human ingenuity, making James feel a little bit more comfortable and at home despite his current situation. The only exceptions were the doors. While Earth still implemented the whole 'doorknob' technology, Corneria, and supposedly the many other planets, seemed to have mastered the 'Star Wars' doors. One click of a button and the door itself would open or close in the blink of an eye. One button was a lock, and the third and last one was a sort of a doorbell that would alert the occupant on either side to a visitor at their door.

He'd seen this on the Acolyte and the Great Fox, but he figured that was because they were ships and all ships had doors like that; human vessels certainly did, but not the homes or other residences. Unless it was a space colony such as Mars and the Moon.

James shook his head and directed his attention to Fox, who was quietly conversing with Krystal. He was about to walk up to her and ask which room he would be staying in when he felt a soft but hefty weight press against his back, and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist. Then a black muzzle appeared in his peripherals and situated itself in the crook of his neck.

"Yes?" he said, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Panther purred loudly in his ear, and she proceeded to nuzzle his cheek affectionately. "Nothing," she replied softly. "Just wanted to stay close to my new best friend."

James quirked an eyebrow and gave her a sideways glance. "Is that so? Nothing else?"

She thought for a moment, then she pulled away and turned James to face her. Panther stood over by only a couple of inches, so she didn't appear intimidating to him in that field. What did intimidate him was the fact that he was practically face-to-face with her buxom chest. "Well," she began, her blue eyes fixed on his silver-blue with a slight hunger in them. "I was wondering if you could spend the night with me." She dropped her voice to a whisper and in the same tone as when she attempted to seduce him back on the Acolyte. But before she could finish her sentence, Wolf stepped in between them and pushed Panther aside.

"What did I feckin' tell ya, Panther?" she growled angrily. "Stay away from ta lad, and don't even think about making a move on him!"

Panther glared at Wolf, her fists clenched and her eyes burning with fury. But she managed to keep a calm voice. "I wasn't actually going to do anything to him, O'Donnell. I was only teasing him. It's not my fault that you're jealous."

Wolf scoffed in disbelief. "'Jealous? Why ta feckin' hell would I be jealous? I don't even like 'im!" She shot an apologetic look over her shoulder at James. "No offense."

The human just shrugged and stood off to the sidelines and watched as the two ex-Star Wolf members argued rather loudly, loud enough to grab Fox and Krystal's attention and for the two of them to intervene.

Fox was the one to defuse the situation. "Alright, that's enough! Both of you!" She gave each of them a sharp glare. "I'm getting sick and tired of you fighting over James. I was sick of it when we first met him, and I'm sick of it now. You will not fight in my home. All of you are guests. If this happens again, and I don't care who starts or not, I'm kicking both of you out! Am I clear?" Neither Wolf nor Panther responded. "I said, 'Am I clear?'"

"Yes," Panther said, her short, rounded ears folding back and her gaze falling to the floor.

Fox looked at Wolf expectantly. "Wolf?"

The lupine glared from Panther to Fox, then to Krystal, before she let out an angry huff and stormed out of the house. A moment later, a loud rumble shook the house as Wolf started up her bike and drove away in a hurry. The sound of the engine echoed in the distance, fading as it drew farther and farther away.

Fox sighed and shook her head, mumbling under her breath, "What am I going to do with her?" Then she walked away into her bedroom at the end of the hallway, closing and locking the door behind her, shutting herself away from everyone else.

Meanwhile, James seated himself on the living room couch with Krystal and Panther, neither of them speaking to one another. As the silence dragged on, his mind drifted as he struggled to understand what had just transpired.